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L. E. SALISBURY & A. WRIGHTSON. KNITTING MACHINE.

10.434,205. I I Patented Aug.1z,1l89o.

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L. E. SALISBURY & A. WRIGHTSON.

KNITTING MACHINE.

(No Model.)

No. 434,205.. Pate te Aug. 12. 1890.

hf- TAL .1f u' UNITED STAT-Es- PATENT OEEICE.

LEVI E. SALISBURY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODEISLAND, AND ARTHUR 'WRIGIITSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA; SAID SALIS- BURY ASSIGNOR TO SAID WRIGHTSON.

KNlTTlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 434,205, dated August 12, 1890.

Application filed January 14, 1889. Renewed February l. 1890. Serial No. 338,867. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that we, LEVI E. SALISBURY and ARTHUR WEIGHTsoN, citizens' of the United States, residing, respectively, at Providence, Rhode Island, and at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to provide simple mechanism for the purpose of auto matically throwing in or outvof action certain of the needles of a knitting-machine head, in order to narrow or widen the knitted web produced thereon, so as to form a shaped or tapered web or a pocket or bulge, such as is re` quired for the heel or toe pocket on a tube intended for the manufacture of a stocking. This object we attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figurelis alongitudinal section of sufficient of a circular-knitting machine to illustrate our invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, of the needle-cylinder, the needles, their bits, and bit-guides. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the cam-cylinder with the needle-cylinder, its bits, and bit-guides removed therefrom. Fig. 4 is a side View of part of the machine. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of part of the cam-cylinder, showing the needle-operating cams. Fig. 6 is a view showing the construction of the bits of the needle-jacks, and Fig. 7 is a diagram showing one form of mechanism which may be used for operating the needle-cylinder and cam-box.

A is the needle-cylinder of the machine, which is adapted to and is free to turn in a suitable bearing in the fixed frame or table A the lower part of the needle-cylinder being provided with a combined spur and bevel pinion B for gearinginto the devices, whereby the cylinder is rotated when such rotation is required. The needle-cylinder has the usual Vertical grooves or ways for the reception of the needles a and their jacks af, and said jacks have projecting bits b for the action of the cams, whereby the needles are raised and lowered to take the thread and form the stitch. l Surrounding the needle-cylinder A is a camcylinder D, which is mounted so as to be free to turn back and forth on the fixed frame or table A', and is provided with a bevel gearwheel D for engagement with a rack or other equivalent gear, whereby a vibrating movement can be imparted to the cam-cylinder.

In forming a heel or toe pocket upon a uniting of the edges of the tapering webs' thus produced, the two operations having the eect of forming a bulging portion or pocket upon one side of the knitted tube.

In carrying out our invention, therefore, We so construct the needles and their bits that they may practically be said to be divided into three sets, constructed as follows: The needles around one half of the head or from the point a to the point w', (upper half of the cylinder, Fig. 2,) which needles are not in action during the formation of the toe-pocket, are provided with the usual short bits, while the needles contained in the segment from y to y', which are always in action, have extremely long bits, and the needles in the segments from to y and from fr to y, upon which the narrowing and widening operation is performed, have bits graded in length, the bits adjacent to the line Qc being'somewhat longer than the short bits of the needles, and each successive bit being somewhat longer than that in advance of it, until the extreme length of bits is reached at the lines y y. Vhen the needles have this graded arrangement of bits, therefore, it will be evident that the successive dropping out of action or bringto y and from fr to fy may be effected by Y a simple radial movement of the operatingcams, so as to carry them by successive steps farther and farther from the axis of the machine, and then returning them by like successive steps toward the axis of the machine; hence we mount the lifting-cams upon the cam-cylinder in such manner that this radial movement of said cams in the cylinder is permitted.

There are two lifting-cams F F', each pivoted to a block d, which has a stem projecting into a radial groove d', formed in a guideplate G at the bottom of the cam-cylinder, each of these blocks having a transverse opening for the reception of a pin f, projecting laterally from a block 1I, which likewise has a stem projecting into a radial groove gin the guide-plate G. The steln 't' of the block II, however, projects below the groove g and into a cani-groove 7L in a eanrdisk I, located beneath the cam-cylinder and occupying a fixed vertical position in respect thereto, but free to turn independently thereof, this camdisk in the prescntinstanee being confined between the bottom of the cam-cylinder and the hub of the bevel-wheel D thereon, although it will be evident that other means of retaining the cam-disk in its vertical position may be adopted without departing from our invention. The cam-groove h in the disk I is continuous and is composed of a succession ot steps, those around one half the disk gradually retreating from the axis of the machine, while those around the other halt of the disk gradually approach said axis. It will be evident, therefore, that if the cam-,disk I is rotated independently of the cam-cylinder D by means of a series of short intermittent movements the successive steps of the camgroove h will act to move the cam-carrying block II by a succession of short movements toward and from the axis of the machine.

IVhen the machine is working for the production of a continuous-knitted tube, the stud of the cam-carrying block II occupies the innermost step of the cam-groove h, and the cams F F consequently occupy their innermost position and act upon the bits of all the needles of the cylinder, the latter being rotated and the cam-box being stationary. lVhen it is desired to form a toe or heel pocket upon the tube, however, the driving devices for the cylinder are thrown out of action, and the gearing whereby the vibration of the cam-cylinder is eiected is thrown into action, so that the cam-cylinder is moved to right and left to an extent sutlicient to carry its cams under the bits of one half of the needles--that is te say, the half from a: to 'y to y' to Fig. 2.

rlhe cams F F are pivoted at their inner ends, and when down, as shown by full lines in Fig. 5, are not of such character as to raise the needles suiiicicntly to take the thread. Vhen the face of either of these cams, however, comes in contact with the bit of the needle at thc end of the set, the cam is caused to swing upon its pivot and assume the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5, so that it will raise the needle to the proper point, one cam acting when the cam-cylinder is moved in one direction and the other cam when said cylinder is moved in the. opposite direction.

On each vibration of the cylinder there is an operation of the cam-disk I, suficient to cause radial movement of the cams F F to the extent of the difference in length between the bits of successive needles, so that the end needles of the acting set are successively rendered inoperative until the cams reach the extreme limit of their outward movement, the end needles of the set being then successively brought into action again as the cams are traversed inward toward the axis of the machine, the widening operation being completed when the cams reach the limit of their inward movement, and the vibration of the cam-cylinder being then stopped and the rotation of the needle-cylinder resumed for the production of plain tubular Work.

rlhe movement of the cam-disk I so as to effect the shifting of the cams F F is preterably effected when these cams occupy a position midway of the acting set of needles.

The ring J, carrying the thread-guide J ',is

mounted upon the cam-cylinder, but is free to rotate independently thereof to an extent permitted by a segmental slot m and radial pin m, the desired lost motion of the guide at each end of the vibrating movement being thus provided for, so that said guide will always occupy its proper position in respect to the acting set of needles. The long and graduated bits ofthe needles are guided between the radial ribs 'a of a frame K, carried by the needle-cylinder, and in order to lessen the friction upon the bits the latter are recessed upon opposite sides, as shown in Fig. l and in detached view, Fig. 6. these recesses, however, being omitted in Fig. 2, in order to prevent confusion.

In order to eitect the intermittent operation of the cam-disk I, various means may be employed, and we do not restrict ourselves to any specific mechanism for this purpose. For illustration, however, we have shown an arm P hung by a pin s to the cam-cylinder and carrying a spring-plate I, with a tooth t for engaging with ratchet-teeth t', formed around the periphery of the disk I, this arm being held in normal position by the action of a spring Q upon arms 11, carried by the arm and being swung forward by contact with a suitable stud or pin-such, for instance, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. lmwhen the cam-cylinder approaches the proper point in its movement.

In order to lock the canrdisk in the intervals between the movements, said disk has bolt-openings w, and a projection S on the cam-cylinder serves as a guide for a lockingbolt w', the head of which .is acted upon by a lever T, moved in one direction by a spring u and in the other direction by a trip-catch IOO IIO

rgo

Lthe wheel B on the needle-cylinder.

ad on the arm P, said trip-catch acting to lift the bolt before there is any forward movement of the cam-disk, and then releasing the same so that it is in position to engage with the bolt-opening w in the disk as soon as the movement of the same hasbeen completed.

Although we do not limit ourselves to any specific means for driving the needle-cylinder and cam-box, we have in Fig. 7 shown one form of mechanism for this purpose, which we will briefly describe. The driving-shaft l is geared by bevel-wheels 2 3 to an upright shaft 4, having a spur-pinion 5 gearing into The hub 6 of the wheel 2 is loose on the shaft l, and has clutch-teeth for engagement with a clutch 7, splined on the shaft, and having other teeth for engagement with those of a crank-disk 8, also loose on the shaft, the crank-pin 9 of this disk being connected by a rod lO to a crankpin l1 on a bevel-wheel l2, the shaft of which is hung to a bracket 13 on the frame A. This wheel l2 gears into the wheel D on the cam-box, and the relative throw of the crankpins 9 and l1 is such that a complete turn of the pin 9 Will impart only a partial throw to the pin l1, so that a vibrating movement will be imparted to the wheel l2 and thence to the cam-box. Vhen the clutch-sleeve 7 is in gear with the hub of the wheel 2, therefore, rotating movement will be imparted to the needlecylinder; but when the clutch-sleeve is moved into engagement With the disk 9, vibrating movement will be imparted to the cam-box.

Having thus described our invention, We claim and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The combination of the needle-carrier of a knitting-machine, having needles with bits graded in length, with a cam-box having a needle-operating cam movable from and toward said needle-carrier, whereby the needles havin g-graded bits may be rendered active or inactive by the movement of the cam, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the needle-carrier and its needles having bits graded in length,

with the cam-box having .a needle-operating cam guided thereon, so as to be free to move from and toward the needle-carrier, and a stepped cam for effecting such movement, substan tially as specified.

8. The combination of the needle-carrier and its needles having bits graded in length, with the cam-box having a' radially-guided cam-block, and cams also radially guided in the cam-box and having a laterally free connection with said cam-block, substantially as specified. ,f

4. The combination of the needle-carrier having needles with hits graded in length, with the frame secured to said carrier, and having projecting guide ribs or arms, and a ring or bar connecting the outer ends of the same, and a cam-box having cams guided therein, so as to be free to move from and toward the needle-carrier, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of the needle-carrier having needles with bits graded in length, with the cam-box, the cam-block guided therein, needle-operating cams carried by said block, the cam-disk having a stepped groove for acting upon said cam-block, and pawl-andratchet mechanism for effecting the intermittent operation of said cam-disk, substantially as specified.

6. The combination of the needle-carrier having needles with bits graded in length, the cam-box havin g cams guided therein, so asto be free to move from and toward the needlecarrier, the cam-disk for actuating said cams, pawl-and-ratchet mechanism for operating said disk, a locking-bolt for the disk, and means for actuating said locking-bolt, substantially as specified. v

ln testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEVI E. SALISBURY. ARTHUR WRIGHTSON. Witnesses:

WILLIAM D. CONNEP, HARRY SMITH. 

